


Starstruck

by metaphoricallylivin



Series: The Sun Will Set Without Our Assistance [1]
Category: New X-Men: Academy X, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Origin Story, Trans Male Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-08
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-12-25 10:12:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12033765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metaphoricallylivin/pseuds/metaphoricallylivin
Summary: They never told him, they never told him who he was, why he was alive. He assumed the benign in it, oh boy was he wrong.





	1. There's Something Tragic About You

**Author's Note:**

> TW for use of guns and attempted kidnapping.
> 
> Micah is an original character, he is a mutant who shows lots of potential and seems to be extremely powerful. But he has also spent a long time repressing his powers so people didn't find out he was a mutant.
> 
> Chapter title comes from From Eden by Hozier.

_ Micah Jason Alfandari _

 

_ Document Citizenship: United States _

 

_ Place of Birth: New York City, New York _

 

_ Date of Birth: 6-17-2001 _

 

_ Gender: Male _

 

_ Dental: N/A _

 

_ Height: 5’ 6” _

 

_ Weight: 195 _

 

_ Hair: Purple, Black Dyed _

 

_ Eyes: Brown _

 

_ Languages: Russian, English, Turkish _

 

_ Identifiable Markings: Industrial piercing, Purple hair, Glowing eyes when using powers _

 

_ Family:  _

_ Miriam Alfandari, Mother (Deceased) 12-03-11 _

_ Abram da Costa, Brother (Deceased) 5-30-17 _

_ Father Unknown _

 

_ Powerset: Telekinesis, Energy Construct Generation and Manipulation _

 

_ Species: Mutant _

 

_ Education Level: Sophmore in High School _

 

_ Power Level: Omega Level Mutant _

 

* * *

 

Jean-Paul ended up driving the bus and had been sacked with the job of watching teenagers shop for notebooks. Making him responsible for 17 teenagers, all of whom had super powers. Despite having the fastest reflexes of everyone on the faculty he’d ended up with the responsibility by losing the “Not it!” competition. Bobby had to take the other batch the next day, but he still felt pretty sorry for himself as he heard the kids yell in the back of the bus.

 

After 20 minutes of driving Jean-Paul opened the door of the bus when they got to the Target in Salem. The kids filed out and clumped up in the parking lot, hanging out together waiting for him to tell them they could head in. He watched as they walked in. He couldn't help, but be proud of Micah. Less than 3 months ago he'd come to the Jean Grey School friendless, lost, and now he had seemed to develop at least one close friendship and a few kids he hung out with. He hadn't quite started talking about what had happened with his brother, but he was doing better and was showing more control of his powers.

 

* * *

 

Shopping for back to school is something Micah had always found surprisingly exciting. When he was little it meant a new backpack and bright markers. He had always liked new things and the clean binders and such always made him feel productive. Summer had been a long awkward few months, Micah having spent most of his time at the Jean Grey School learning about his powers during the summer session. It had been weird, he hadn't quite realized how much he could make them do and in a way it scared him. Still a week before the start of the Fall Session there was back to school shopping. 

 

Even when he lost control of his powers there wasn't as much destruction. He'd learned how to calm himself down to some extent. Stim toys had definitely helped, Ororo had bought him a chewelry necklace with a star pendant along with a tangle toy. Using his stim toys allowed him to keep himself calm and kept him from exploding over into the world around him. When he'd managed to create a blast of energy so dense it destroyed a wall in the middle of a meltdown there'd been a consideration of maybe his powers were too much for one person to handle. Maybe they couldn't quite trust him not to hurt someone by accident one day.

 

Micah followed Dallas and Molly around, occasionally throwing things he needed or wanted into the cart with them.

 

“Do you think they'd let me buy hair dye? I know we're supposed to buy back to school clothes and school supplies, but still,” Molly asked, holding up a package of bright red hair dye up.

 

Micah shrugged. “Probably not, I'll buy it for you, though.”

 

“You still have birthday money? Wasn't your birthday like… 3 months ago?” Molly asked.

 

“Yeah, I still have like $50. Other than coffee there really isn't anything I'm spending it on,” Micah said, placing the box of bright red hair dye in the small pile of “buy with my own money” things. It consisted of four packages of candy, pair of shark earrings, and a set of stretchy blue bracelets.

 

“Sweet!” Molly jumped up and down, doing a little dance.

 

After a few minutes Molly leaved to catch up with some of her other friends, leaving Dallas with the task of walking through the bedding area together. Micah stopped in front of a stuffed octopus which was on sale and ridiculously cute. They'd all dropped off the stuff the school was paying for with Jean-Paul and everyone was hanging out or finishing up the last few things they were buying on their own. He pulled it down, spinning towards Dallas with it held out.

 

“I need this so,” the last words died in his mouth. There was a gun held to Dallas’s head.

 

“Come with me, kid, or your friend dies,” the man holding the gun to Dallas’s head said.

 

He didn't look how Micah imagined an assassin. He was wearing clothes more akin to what a suburban father of three would wear than someone who made their money in others deaths. His shirt boasted the Yankees and he was wearing faded jeans that didn't quite fit. There was no eye patch either, which Micah didn't quite know how he'd come to associate with assassins.

 

Micah froze, dropping what he was holding. Dallas had a gun to his head, his best friend could  _ die _ . He didn't know what to do, he couldn't hit the man with a blast of energy, he was too close to Dallas, and he couldn't risk moving the gun and accidentally setting it off.

 

“Okay,” Micah breathed deeply, letting out a whoosh of air a second later. “I'll come.”

 

The man didn't let go of Dallas until he had a gun to Micah’s head. It was a poor choice as seconds later Dallas had turned into his shadow form, ripping the gun out of the man’s hands and tackling him to the ground. Micah scrambled up, creating two batons in the process.

 

“Don't move. Psionic energy could easily rip you apart and kill you,” Micah said. He held the baton to the man’s throat.

 

“Imma go get Northstar,” Dallas said, turning back into a boy.

 

“Yeah, I'll make sure he doesn't get away,” Micah said.

 

The next little bit was a blur. Micah didn't remember much between Dallas leaving and him ending up back on the bus at the manor. He knew that Jean-Paul ziptied the dude while they waited for S. H. E. I. L. D. to show up and take the man away. He knew that they ended up paying for everything and heading back to the manor because they were there and there was tons of Target bags around them, still the chain of events alluded him.

 

Micah was called into Ororo’s office almost immediately after he got everything up to his room, telekinesis had its benefits and being able to easily carry things was way up there.

 

“I've made the decision, both as one of your guardians and your headmistress, to ban you from leaving school grounds until we find out who hired that man and why he wanted you,” Ororo said.

 

“That's not fair,” Micah protested.

 

“Yes, but life isn't fair,” Ororo responded with.

 

Micah made a noise, something that sounded like a hrrumph and leaned back in his chair.

 

“Is there anything else? Will you tell me when you find anything out?” Micah asked.

 

“Micah, we're doing this to keep you safe, this isn't a punishment,” Ororo said, she'd switched out of her authority figure voice into something softer, more genuine. “Someone wanted to kidnap you today.”

 

“I know, but I fought them off! I'm strong. You said it yourself I'm one of the strongest telekinetics you’ve ever met! I could take anything they throw at me!” Micah said.

 

“Micah, this is to keep you safe. Until we know what's going on I don't want you to get hurt. I also would like you to get a full medical scan,” Storm said. “It's just a precaution to check for anything abnormal. You'll be fine afterwards.”

 

Micah nodded. “Can I go?”

 

“Can I get a hug first?” Ororo said, standing up and opening up her arms.

 

Micah sighed melodramatically before standing up and burying his face in her chest. He sighed when she wrapped her arms around him. It felt good, homey. For a minute he didn't move, enjoying the good feeling of being loved and cared for. When the hug ended he smiled.

 

“I miss my mom,” Micah said.

 

“I miss her too, not a day goes by where I don't think about her. I wish she could see the person you've grown up to be, I know you'd make her proud,” Ororo said before kissing the top of Micah’s head.

 

“Thanks,” Micah said. “I'm going to go to the infirmary to get checked out. By the way… do you happen to know what code name I was assigned?”

 

“I do, but just because I'm the headmistress doesn't mean I'm not going to make you wait until you get your squad assignment to find out, just like everyone else,” Ororo said.

 

“Why do you hate me?” Micah asked, sighing dramatically. He tried his hardest to make his voice sound like that of a betrayed starlet in some 50s movie.

 

“Because I'm an evil woman with dastardly plans like teaching you patience and not showing favoritism,” Storm said. “Now go get checked out.”

 

“Okay, okay. I’ll go,” Micah said, before leaving for the infirmary. Right before he opened the door he heard Ororo say “I love you.”

 

“Love you too,” Micah said, smiling slightly.


	2. When The Ritual Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gets their code names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No tw for this chapter. It's a pretty light chapter.
> 
> Chapter title from Take Me To Church by Hozier.

The next morning everyone was instructed to report to breakfast by the intercom, that afterwards students eligible for training squads would receive their uniforms and their advisor assignments. Then during the school assembly they would get their codenames.

 

“I wonder if we'll be on the same training squad,” Dallas said. The two of them were shuffling down the breakfast buffet. Dallas seemed to be the only person alive who could stomach powdered eggs, let alone eat them everyday.

 

“I don't know, I keep bugging Ororo, but she won't tell me,” Micah deposited 3 vegetarian sausages on his plate, along with a biscuit. He slid his tray down the line, grabbing a single serving box of cereal along the way.

 

“Damn, that sucks. I really hope I don't get some stupid name like Shadow Catcher or Shadow Boy, we get it my powers allow me to become a living shadow. I'm aware of this,” Dallas said, gesturing one handedly. Pretty much every kid at the Jean Grey school dreaded getting a shitty codename. It wasn't uncommon, but it was something no one wanted to be defined by even though after being given one it stayed with you forever.

 

“Hey, maybe someone heard your months of complaining about the idea that you'd get a shitty codename and you won't get one,” Micah said. The teachers determined the codenames, specifically your advisor. If you had an advisor with a propensity for stupid codenames, like Cyclops, it would suck.

 

“Hey, smartass, you're a telekinetic. Telekinetics usually get the coolest codenames because their powers allow for badass names like Hellion, Justice, Psylocke, meanwhile I'm a living shadow so I'll be sacked with the world’s dumbest name,” Dallas said, spraying crumbs of donut in Micah’s face. They hadn't even sat down yet and Dallas was already halfway through his plate, though that wasn't abnormal.

 

Micah laughed a little, following Dallas to their normal table. Molly was sitting with a couple other kids, laughing at one of their jokes.

 

“Micah, Dallas, have you ever met Frankie Pryde?” Molly asked.

 

A kid sitting next to Molly waved slightly, they had dark brown hair and brown eyes that made Micah feel warm and fuzzy. Looking at them was hard, an aura of bright light seemed to surround them completely.

 

“Hi, my name’s Micah,” Micah said. “What's your powers?”

 

“Uh… I guess the best way to put it is I'm a living star. It's kinda weird,” Frankie said, they paused creating a small ball of light in their hand.

 

“That's so cool,” Micah said.

 

“Yeah, I guess. It’s not super fun, I accidentally blinded some people before I got a handle on my powers,” Frankie shrugged before dissipating the ball of light.

 

Everyone finished breakfast making occasional small talk. By the end of breakfast Molly was practically vibrating with excitement.

 

“Maybe you should lay off the donuts,” Micah said.

 

“Look, Jerko, I didn't eat any donuts. We're getting out codenames today! Isn't that the least bit exciting to you?” Molly said, gesturing wildly and way too excitedly.

 

“Not really? I care more about whether or not I'm on the same team as you guys than my codename. I don't even know if I want to become an X-Man or anything so my codename doesn't really matter,” Micah said.

 

“I hope I don't get a stupid one, Star Boy or something would be awkward,” Frankie said. “I’d much rather be named after a constellation or something than just have someone tack boy or kid onto my powers.”

 

“I really hope no one is stupid enough to just give me the name ‘Oxygen Girl’ or something like that. I don't even use the oxygen part of my powers that often, I mostly just manipulate fire,” Molly said. She always had a lighter on her, a rainbow one that she'd gotten as a birthday present from her brother. It was engraved with her name.

 

They all cleared their trays into the trash and set them on the stacks. They all walked to the auditorium, the younger kids heading to class.

 

The uniforms were sorted by last name, A through G at one table, H through M at another, and so on. Micah and Dallas retrieved their uniforms, noticing they didn't match.

 

“We're not on the same team,” Dallas said.

 

“That sucks,” Micah sighed. “I was really looking forward to kicking ass with you.”

 

“Yeah, we better change. We'll sit together during the assembly, right?” Dallas asked, quirking an eyebrow.

 

“For sure,” Micah said, heading to the men’s bathroom to change.

 

The suit was sleek, black with purple and pink highlights and a pair of wrist guards. A feature that Micah happily noticed was built in chest compression, whoever had designed it had thought about him being trans. While it didn't make him as flat as a binder it looked flatter than a normal sports bra. There was the X-Men symbol in the middle of his chest, an x in the background forming over his chest. It came with a bright pink sleeveless hoodie, finishing off the look surprisingly well.

 

“Dude, you look hot,” Dallas said.

 

“Right back at you, Shadow Boy,” Micah said, giving him finger guns.

 

“I take back everything positive I've ever said about you, I hate you and everything you stand for,” Dallas responded, looking faux angry.

 

Micah snorted, noticing Dallas’s costume. It was a singlet, stopping just before his knees with a line with an X sticking out running down the side. It was navy blue and grey, with white highlights. It looked pretty good on him. Despite his shadow based powers and general personality Dallas looked cheerful, he had bottle blonde hair and brown eyes, his skin somehow flawless despite also being an awkward teenager. Micah and Molly had a suspicion he’d sold his soul to the devil for good looks.

 

“Promise even if our training squads get pitted against each other we'll always be best friends?” Micah’s voice was surprising earnest, his usual sarcasm drained from it.

 

“Yeah, no way any of this will ever change us. We're going to be friends,” Dallas said, high fiving Micah before leading the way out of the bathroom.

 

The auditorium was filled with students, all watching the stage. Dallas and Micah found seats next to Frankie and Mollie, watching as Storm came on stage.

 

“In the last few years, as our school's roster has expanded many of our students have lost the close knit feeling that was originally there with the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters and the original X-Men. However mutant children are children and Professor Xavier’s idea to use them as soldiers in his war was wrong, period. We have however created these training squads to allow for the same type of training and mentorship without the peril and responsibility of going out and saving the day,” Storm said. She commanded respect from her place up on the stage, her white hair immaculately styled.

 

“Dude, she's amazing. I can't believe I'm so close to Storm,” Molly said, whispering Dallas, Micah, and Frankie. “She's like, the coolest X-Man ever.”

 

“This is more about learning about your powers and learning teamwork. Remember, you're students first, the world is not your burden. Without further ado I would like to turn this over to Emma Frost for her team,” Ororo said.

 

As time went on the assembly continued at an agonizingly slow pace. The Hellions, the New Mutants, the Corsairs, Alpha Squadron, and the Paragons were all announced. Dallas was given the name Spectre, something which made his whole face light up. He hadn't been given a shadow related name and the happiness was showing on his face.

 

“Finally, we have the last squad. The members are Frankie Pryde,” everyone heard Shadowcat yell “Woohoo” louder than anyone thought possible, earning her a slightly pointed loon from Storm. “Along with Molly Slater, Micah Alfandari, Roxanne Washington, Ruth Aldine, and Gabrielle Kinney. This training squad will be run by Gambit.”

 

Micah and the rest of the kids slowly made their way to the stage, looking at each other awkwardly. Their uniforms matched, all of them pink, purple, and black, similar to Gambit’s costume. Gambit took the stage, leaning a tad bit too close to the microphone providing a shock of feedback when he began speaking.

 

“Sorry. I present my team, de Charmers. Orion,” Frankie beamed at the audience, a smile splitting their face and the halo of light around them getting stronger. “Flint.” Molly crossed her arms, she looked like she was ready to take on the world. “Bling!” Roxy looked pleased, a smile splitting her face. “Blindfold.” Ruth straightened herself, she didn't look as happy or pleased as the rest of them, but Micah supposed that with precognition she already knew her codename. “Quickhatch.” Gabby made a noise, something similar to a cooing sound. “And Kid X.”

 

Micah paused, he liked the sound of that. Kid X.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment y'all...


	3. The Purest Expression Of Grief

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tw for mentions of child abuse and death.
> 
> Chapter title comes from Foreigner's God by Hozier.

The rest of the school day went by in a flash. No one was paying attention, everyone too excited for the first meeting of training squads. By fourth period most teachers had just given up with older students and given them busy work instead of attempting to a real class.

 

“Are any of you even paying attention?” Mr. Drake asked, waving his hands wildly.

 

After a moment of no response he sighed. “Okay, come on class we're gonna go play kickball. Let's see if any other classes want to join.”

 

Everyone perked up, Mr. Drake was known for his kickball and baseball games. Powers were allowed and they were often the best part of the semester. Everyone shoved their math books into their bags and threw then on.

 

For the next few minutes they wandered the halls, trying to find a class to play with. Mr. McCoy turned them down because he said their lesson was too important. Mr. Wagner and Ms. Guthries classes ended up joining them on the baseball field.

 

“Okay, everyone knows the rules, right?” Mr. Drake asked.

 

Everyone nodded.

 

“Okay, everyone make teams. Nightcrawler is on my team,” Mr. Drake said. “Is it cool if I'm Team Captain, Kurt?”

 

“Bobby, you're an adult,” Ms. Guthrie said.

 

“Yes and I'm the teacher so I get to be Team Captain if I want. God, having authority is awesome,” a smile split Mr. Drake’s face, one like he was planning something.

 

“Fine, I'm Captain for my team though,” Ms. Guthrie said.

 

After a few minutes everyone had divided themselves up, Micah choosing to awkwardly stand with Victor.

 

“I heard you got Northstar as an advisor,” Micah said.

 

“Oh, yeah. Mr. Beaubier is cool, I don't have him for any of my classes, but he seems awesome. Did you know he was the first openly gay mutant?” Anole asked.

 

“Uh… yeah. I've kinda known him my whole life,” Micah said.

 

“Micah, Micah, bro, dude, we share a room, how did I not know this?” Victor placed both of his hands on Micah’s shoulders, looking straight into Micah’s eyes.

 

The contact was awkward, something Micah wasn't quite good at.

 

“I figured it was obvious. I have a bunch of old posters of him on my side of the room and I see him a lot. Plus my mom and him were good friends back when she was alive,” Micah shrugged.

 

“He’s so cool, though! When I was little I used to collect all his merchandise. I have the limited edition Northstar action figure in his Alpha Flight uniform back home,” Anole said, his arms flapping excitedly.

 

“Do you want me to get you a signed Northstar shirt or something?” Micah asked.

 

Victor’s face froze before he started jumping up and down, punching the air. “You’d really do that for me?”

 

“Yeah, if I'd know how much you loved Northstar I would've done it months ago,” Micah smiled, a warm genuine one.

 

* * *

 

The first training squad assignment was to find a missing child on the school grounds. The kid had been outfitted with anti-psychic technology. Offensive use of powers was not permitted. The teams were set loose after the explanation of the rules, Alpha Squadron v. the Charmers.

 

“Micah, you’re the only one of us who can both see and fly, get a bird’s eye view,” Roxy said. She’d elected herself leader without any hesitation and it worked, she was the most outgoing and commanding of all of them.

 

“Will do,” Micah said, using his telekinesis to levitate himself off the ground.

 

He wobbled slightly in the air. For something he’d been doing since he was 8 he was sure as hell still bad at it. He scanned the area, looking for anything unusual. Nothing.

 

“Didn’t see anything,” Micah said, shrugging from his place hovering a few feet above the ground.

 

“Could you do like a fancy telekinetic shockwave to find the kid?” Molly asked. “My powers are kinda useless if I can’t use them offensively.”

 

“I don’t think you understand how my powers work,” Micah said. “I can make things move with my mind and manipulate energy… sorta. Don’t bank on that last power.”   
  


“Great so we have no idea what this kid smells like, we can’t use telepathy, our powerhouse doesn’t see shit. How are we supposed to find this kid?” Gabby said before dramatically flopping onto the ground.

 

“I can, yes, see the kid, thank you.”

 

Everyone turned to Ruth.

 

“I am, no, clairvoyant,” Ruth said.

 

“Oh… what did you see?” Roxy asked.

 

“Trees on their side, no, and a boy sitting playing with trucks, sorry. There was a no grass, please,” Ruth said.

 

Micah blushed, feeling his cheeks grow hot. “Yeah, I know where that is. It’s, uuuh, behind the cemetery. In the woods. I was testing out my powers and I figured out I could manipulate energy so I burned the grass and knocked over the trees. Not my proudest moment.”

 

“Well! Let’s go!” Roxy said.

 

It took a good 15 minutes of walking before they came to the clearing. Four trees were lying on the ground and several others were leaning on the surrounding ones, scorch marks covered everything.

 

“Dude, this is…,” Roxy said.

 

“Scary? Weird?” Micah suggested. It wasn't quite something that he liked about himself yet, not something he wanted to do. The destructiveness of powers was something he was trying to shove down, ignore.

 

“Cool,” Roxy said.

 

Micah didn't respond. He looked around for the little boy, finding him moving around his cars.

 

“Hi, I'm a wolverine,” Gabby said. “I like your trucks.”

 

“My sister said I have to press this button when you get here,” he said.

 

“Okay,” Gabby said.

 

They all sat down around the boy, Gabby helping him play trucks.

 

After a few minutes Gambit, Northstar, and Storm arrived.

 

“Good job kids, so far you’ve had the quickest time of any other teams,” Ororo said, beaming at them.

 

“I'll call off Alpha Squadron.” Jean-Paul made an unhappy noise before racing off.

 

Gambit gave them all a smile. “Good job, petitis. Training is over for today.”

 

Everyone nodded and stood up, meander their way back to school. Roxanne punched the air, seemingly the most competitive member of their group.

 

“Why are you and Uncle Jean-Paul so mad at eachother?” Micah asked.

 

Ororo sighed, hanging her head. “After you change come to my office, there's something I need to show you.”

 

* * *

 

The footage was grainy, it felt very much like a mid 2000s webcam video. His mom was there, looking warm, happy. He felt something bubble up in his chest, a feeling of familiarity he'd missed for so long.

 

“Hi, Micah. If you're watching this then it's time you learned the truth about who you are, either you're 18 or the threat to you is too big. I love you, I want to tell you that before everything else. I've always loved you.

 

“Okay, okay. In 1999 I was approached by a man. I'd been identified as a good candidate for a program, to watch the development of a mutant child into adulthood. I would be paid $500,000 up front and then be given a monthly stipend to care for you. For it I would have to do weekly doctor visits throughout the pregnancy and after you were born you would have appointments to watch your development. They would choose the father to maximize the chances of you being a mutant. In late 2000 you were ready. Then 9 months later you were born.

 

“I wouldn't have taken the money if my father didn't need to go to a nursing home. They chose me because I was desperate and I needed money so I wouldn't say no. When you were 5 they said they wanted to trigger your mutant powers, through radiation. I said no and they blew up your preschool. It killed 25 children and 6 adults, you were the only survivor.

 

“Two weeks ago, Ororo, Jean-Paul, and I broke into their facility. We found information on over 70 children, terrible things happened to all of them. Some were killed, others were placed in stasis, none of them ever came home. I want to make sure that never happens to you, whatever that takes I'll make sure you’re never hurt. I love you, my baby boy. I love you so much,” Miriam said.

 

The video faded out. Micah didn't say anything, for a few seconds he just sat there.

 

“Is that why someone tried to kidnap me?” Micah asked.

 

“Yes,” Ororo said.

 

“Why didn't you tell me… Did… they kill my mom? Did they kill Abram?” Micah asked.

 

There was no response.

 

“I'm going to take that as a yes,” Micah’s voice was almost sarcastic, disbelieving.

 

There was silence, a long heavy silence.

 

“I'm… gonna go. I'll talk later,” Micah said.

 

Walking to his room was second nature at that point. He opened the door, scanning for Vic.

 

“I can't believe you beat us,” Victor grumbled.

 

“What?” Micah asked.

 

“You guys won the competition,” Vic said.

 

“Oh, sorry, Vic. Maybe next time,” Micah said. His voice was emotionless, like there was nothing in him left.

 

“You okay?” Vic asked, he scanned Micah’s face, looking puzzled.

 

Micah shook his head. He wasn't okay, he wasn't sure if he could be again.

 

“Is there anything I can do?” Victor asked

 

“No,” Micah said. “Thanks for asking though.”

 

“No problem, we’re friends, right?” Vic said.

 

“Yeah, we’re friends.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo... comment...


	4. That's Great, It Starts With An Earthquake

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay the title is a pun, but one that doesn't make sense without context! Miriam had seismic abilities. So like... I would've been stupid not to title the chapter with a lyric from R. E. M.'s It's the End of the World, even though Micah Does Not Feel Fine. Also the school my mom works at had a lice outbreak a few weeks ago and that sorta inspired this chapter. Anyways pretty light chapter so no tws.

Micah and Vic spent most of the night in comfortable silence. Micah felt like there was too much going on in his head, they'd told him his mother's death had been from protecting him and Abram from anti-mutant activists, it was a guilt he'd learned to live with. That his mom had traded her life for his by burying herself and 20 people under 20 feet of rock. Now he knew it was different, without them they'd all be alive, okay, going about their lives.

 

Vic had crashed around 2 am, falling asleep with his math book open in front of him. Normally Micah would've snapped a hundred pictures of him drooling on their Algebra 2 textbook, then distributed it to the groupchat. He wasn't quite feeling up for that so he wandered from his dorm to the boy’s common room. He gave a silent prayer that the only person awake was Rockslide.

 

“What's up, Santo?” Micah asked.

 

“Not much, do you want some ice cream?” Santo asked, he was holding a gallon carton of butter pecan ice cream and was using a serving spoon to eat it.

 

“Sure,” Micah said, shrugging slightly, using his telekinesis to get a spoon from the kitchenette in the common. He'd been perfecting making small objects fly into his hand from other places, working his way down from a textbook to a paper clip.

 

“You must be great at parties,” Santo said, his voice tinged with sarcasm. “Wanna watch some Disney? I was just about to put on Lilo and Stitch.”

 

“Ah, the best Disney movie ever made,” Micah said, sitting down next to Santo and sticking his spoon into the delicious ice cream. It was smooth and buttery, somehow making a shitty day a little bit bearable.

 

“Eh,” Santo said, shrugging.

 

“I'm going to pretend you didn't just say the worst thing anyone can ever say because I love this movie,” Micah said.

 

The movie was calming, nice and familiar. When he was little, other than a plethora of animal documentaries, it had been his favorite movie. Every second took him back to family movie night in the summers, Jean-Paul and Ororo would be in town and everyone would watch a movie together. It was something he'd missed more than he could quite put his finger on. If he started crying during way too many parts of the movie Santo didn't say anything.

 

“Sorry about your brother, Vic said you were having a lot of trouble with that today,” Santo said, scratching his head. It seemed to be more a nervous tic than an actual expression of being itchy as he was made of inorganic rock.

 

“That’s one way to put it I guess.” 

 

Santo didn't say anything after that, turning in a half hour later, leaving Micah awake as the sun rose. He couldn't remember if he'd ever watched the sun rise, but as it came up he couldn't help but feel like his chest was being squeezed, like every part of him was being crushed. After a few minutes of letting himself cry Micah put himself back together, heading back to his dorm for an hour of sleep before breakfast.

 

* * *

 

“Micah,” Vic said.

 

“Mmm,” Micah mumbled, hiding under his pillow and turning over. He was too tired for this shit.

 

“Wake up, we have class,” Victor said, throwing a frisbee at Micah. It felt a bit slimy, which didn't quite surprise Micah, it was Victor’s frisbee and he was known for using his tongue to throw it.

 

“I can't give myself the day off?” Micah whined, stretching out like a cat in the sun.

 

Vic rolled his eyes. “We have class, you can be your laziest self today, but at least go.”

 

“Fine,” Micah said, sighing and sitting up.

 

Micah threw on a pair of athletic shorts and his softest shirt, a Wolverine shirt. He shrugged on a sweatshirt and followed Vic to breakfast, eating Lucky Charms and two donuts. He polished off a glass of soy milk before taking out his math textbook.

 

Algebra 2 was the opposite of fun in Micah’s opinion, but it was a necessary class. Professor Drake made it at least a little fun, plus he sometimes let them say fuck it to school work and do fun things as about half of the older students had informed Micah. After Algebra 2 he had Flight Class with Jean-Paul, something he was seriously considering drinking three glasses of milk and orange juice mixed together to make himself throw up to get out of. Then he had his free period, finally he was ending his day with Sex Ed, the only class more able to make a couple dozen mutant teenagers squirm than overhearing about a teacher’s sex life. It was simultaneously the most entertaining and worst class he was taking, especially thanks to the introduction of the question box.

 

“Can we talk?” Micah heard someone say. He looked up, taking his highlighter out of his mouth only to notice it was Jean-Paul.

 

“No. I'm mad at both of you,” Micah said, shoving it back into his mouth and looking back down at his Algebra textbook.

 

“I wanted to tell you from the beginning,” Jean-Paul said, Micah stayed silent, chewing on his highlighter.

 

Micah sat still, saying nothing. He didn't feel safe, there was a possibility that one wrong move would get him killed, experimented on, turned into a weapon. That terrified him, control was something he'd made himself learn, perfect. The idea of losing it, especially losing it and hurting someone was hard for him to imagine.

 

So he didn't say anything, just closing his book, standing up and walking to class.

 

* * *

 

After third period Ororo came over the intercom. “All students please report to the gym for a special announcement.”

 

Micah trudged into the gym, it was actually one of his favorite classes. Back at his old school Gym had been a series of hazings and unrealistic expectations. At the Jean Grey School they could use their powers, letting them help them during their classes. The most humiliation that happened during Gym was when Professor Logan would sub and make them run laps.

 

When Micah walked in he saw the students had been separated out by grade. He narrowed his eyes before noticing they were having their hair checked which meant… lice.

 

“Micah,” Dallas yelled.

 

“What's up? Since when did the school have lice?” Micah asked, watching the room.

 

“Since some 3rd grader came to back from summer camp with lice and then since there's literally no privacy everyone else got it,” Dallas said. “So far Molly is confirmed as having it, along with 17 other students.”

 

“Well, I'm not chancing it, I'll go get checked out,” Micah said.

 

Micah waited in line with everyone else as kids got their heads checked one at a time. After fifteen minutes of waiting it was his turn, he sat down as the head was checked.

 

“Uh, yeah sorry kid. Your head’s infested. You should go to the infirmary for treatment,” the teacher said.

 

Micah sighed, nodded, before getting up and trudging to the infirmary.

 

Treatment apparently meant getting lice shampoo roughly scrubbed into his scalp, his clothes confiscated, and he was given a plain shirt and soft cotton shorts and sent to a room. It was filled with other students, most of them in the same clothes. Molly seemed desolate.

 

“What happened?” Micah asked, sitting down next to her.

 

“I have lice,” Molly said. “Also we're not supposed to touch or leave this room until we're all confirmed lice free.”

 

“Sounds exhausting,” Micah said, flopping back in the bed.

 

Over the hours more students trickled in, Dallas, one of Molly’s friends whose codename Micah was pretty sure was Loa, and even Julian Keller showed up.

 

Before they were going to sleep they all got their scalps smeared with mayonnaise before shower caps were placed on them. In the morning their hair would be washed and combed out again. Teachers had been dispatched to their rooms to get all their hair supplies, dirty clothes, and bedding for cleaning.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Micah got his hair combed out, flinching whenever it was pulled. He was told all of the lice in his hair were either dead or dying. Afterwards he was given the all clear to return to his room. About half his clothes were gone for cleaning and his bedding was gone. Still he reveled in showering, getting clean. 

 

Afterwards he changed into some training clothes and headed to one of the training rooms on campus. As the amount of students at the school increased they'd added more training rooms, sort of a lite Danger Room, presenting things for students to use as target practice, fighting practice, and one on one battles.

 

Micah breathed a sigh of relief, the one closest to the boys’ dorms was empty. He started by practicing his energy manipulation with target practice. He sent small blasts at objects, frowning at the way it misfired. He'd managed to figure out larger blasts, but the smaller ones still alluded him.

 

Micah sighed, sitting down. He'd perfected his telekinesis years ago, unless he was using it on himself there was almost nothing he couldn’t do. Still his use of energy still alluded him, he knew it was easy to use to burn organic material after he'd leveled the trees, but otherwise he had no idea the limits of it or even if limits existed. 

 

Micah’s phone rang after a few minutes and he grabbed it. Scanning the screen he saw it was from Dallas.

 

“Hey, what's up with you, dude?” Dallas asked. “You were sulking all night.”

 

“I have lice,” Micah deadpanned.

 

“Yeah, cut the act, bro,” Dallas said.

 

“Fine, I found out my whole life is a lie and that I was genetically engineered to be super powerful and it's possible all the shit I can do is only a taste. Oh yeah, and the people who tried to kidnap me and kill you, well they genetically engineered me and want me back so they can dissect me or use me to further their own goals,” Micah said, his voice so fast he worried maybe he wasn't understandable.

 

After he finished there was a long pause, Dallas seemingly dumbstruck.

 

“So, what're you gonna do?” Dallas said.

 

Micah sighed. “I don't know. Right now I'm just trying not to die.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like a broken record, but seriously comment. It makes my month.


	5. That's Me In The Corner

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again an R. E. M. song... this time Losing My Religion. TW for running away and discussion of kidnapping.

Micah spent a month planning, going through everything in his head. Eventually he came to a conclusion, him leaving was for the best. If he didn't leave whatever was hunting him could attack the school, kill students. So late in the night he 

steadied himself, grabbing the backpack full of supplies he'd carefully hidden, and opened the window. Then he jumped and he flew, going high above the sensors before steading out and taking himself into town.

 

Micah hid his hair in a Fantastic Four baseball cap, it was something you could buy at any 5 Below for a couple bucks, not exactly traceable. Micah paused, tapping his hand on his knee before heading to the Bus Depot on the edge of town. He sighed, buying a new bus card and putting $40 in it before he waited for the bus to New York to arrive.

 

It was where he'd been born, if he was going to figure any of the crazy shit going on with him he figured he should go there first.

 

* * *

 

It took two bus rides and 5 subway stops before Micah made his destination. He was back in District X, somewhere he'd missed in a way he couldn't quite describe, it was a longing for somewhere he knew he'd never quite return to. Still, Micah shoved his hands in his pockets and navigated the familiar, yet still foreign, streets. He paused at the Missing Wall on third, a wall plastered with missing posters.

 

Hundreds of people went missing in District X every year and still things rarely changed, the police didn't care, siting it all as runaways or a symptom of the high crime rate. Micah scanned the flyers, finding one that matched the description of the day his mom was killed.

 

10 year old Mutant, child of a single mother, taken by force. Micah wrote down the address and followed the streets to the house. He steadied himself, biting his lip, before he pressed the buzzer to the woman’s apartment. He knew she might not respond, but he figured it was worth a shot.

 

“Hello,” a tired, staticky voice said, somewhere between a question and a response.

 

“I… I want to ask you some questions about your daughter,” Micah said. “I'm not police. I'm a mutant.”

 

There was a long pause before the door buzzed open and Micah walked up the stairs. The apartment was on the third floor, apartment 3D. When he got there the woman was already waiting for him, in blue pajama pants and an old t-shirt.

 

“Is this a joke?” she asked.

 

“No. My name’s Micah Alfandari. My mom was part of the X Men in the 90s. She left when she had my brother and she moved here. People approached her, they asked her if she would have another child so they could study mutant development and they'd pay her. My mom was in a really tough spot, money-wise so she said yes. Does any of this sound familiar?” Micah rattled off the information as he'd gone over it in his head.

 

The woman covered her mouth in surprise before steeling herself. “Come in.”

 

Micah looked around the apartment, pictures of her daughter were displayed everywhere. Otherwise it was pretty standard, white walls, a couch, a small kitchen, and dining room table, piled high with mail and other random items.

 

“I'm sorry about your daughter,” Micah said. “Really.”

 

“They offered me $25,000 upfront and a thousand dollars a month until Jackie was 18. I took it, so of course I took their offer. I'd always wanted kids anyways and I never thought that'd happen. They still send the goddamn money,” she said.

 

“Wait, they still send it?” Micah asked. “Wait what's your name?”

 

“A cheque, once a month. I never cash it,” she said. “Darya, Darya Shirvani.”

 

Micah nodded. “I… I want to make sure they never hurt anyone again. I can't guarantee I’ll be able to get your daughter back, but can I see one of those cheques? I'll give it back I promise.”

 

Darya handed Micah a stack, practically shoving it into his hands. “Take them, I don't want them anymore. I just want this to end. Make sure it ends.”

 

Micah nodded, taking the cheques and stuffing them into the furthest part of his bag, under his Charmer’s training suit and everything else.

 

“I will,” Micah said.

 

Darya nodded before pointing to the door and letting him out.

 

* * *

 

Micah wandered around Mutant Town until the sun came up, following the street lights through the area. At about 6 am he stopped into a convenience store, filling up his water bottle and buying a package of popcorn. When the park opened up he sat down, formulating a plan.

 

He crossed out the idea of using himself as bait, he'd need backup for something like that. After that he had nothing. Micah chastised himself for ever thinking it would work out. He figured he could still load up on food and fly back to Westchester before anyone realized he'd left. He trudged to through the park before noticing a large billboard.

 

_ X Force Investigation _

 

On it was a picture of Rictor, Multiple Man, and Wolfsbane posing like they were on the poster for an early 2000s cop drama. Micah paused, Rictor. He remembered that back in the day he'd been one of his mom’s students, a powerful mutant with a connection to the earth that allowed him to create earth quakes. Micah’s mom has trained him, maybe he could help.

 

* * *

 

“No.”

 

“I haven't even said anything,” Micah crossed his arms, pouting ever so slightly.

 

“Your family is full of drama so I'm going to drive you back to wherever you came from and I'm going to avoid whatever weird bullshit that's ahead,” Rictor said.

 

“I need your help. I… I want to stop the people who killed my mom and my brother. I can't do it alone,” Micah looked down at his feet, shifting awkwardly.

 

Rictor’s head dropped, he sighed.

 

“Come in. I'll make breakfast. ‘Star put some clothes on we have guests,” Rictor said, opening up the door fully. Micah followed him in.

 

Micah sat down at their kitchen table, taking out his laptop, the flash drive, and the stack of cheques. He carefully organized the cheques and opened his laptop, starting up the video and filed he had.

 

Rictor made fried eggs and bacon, taking out a bowl and a box of Frosted Flakes.

 

“Do you want eggs and bacon or cereal,” Julio asked.

 

“Can I have cereal, please?” Micah asked.

 

Rictor hummed in agreement before grabbing a second bowl and placing it in front of Micah.

 

Micah poured himself some of the Frosted Flakes and started eating while he loaded up the files. Parts of them were missing, making it hard to figure out everything.

 

“Who's got custody of you? ‘D like to know who's going to kill me when this is all done,” Rictor said, sitting down next to Micah.

 

“Storm and Northstar,” Micah said, shoving a spoonful of Frosted Flakes in his mouth.

 

Shatterstar came out wearing his uniform. He sat down and poured himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes. He set his holster down on the table and poured orange juice over it.

 

“Babe, that's not how people eat cereal,” Rictor said, it sounded like it was a conversation they'd had many times.

 

“I don't like milk. This is better,” Shatterstar said before digging in.

 

Rictor sighed, shaking his head fondly. It was the same look Dallas gave him whenever he die a weird autistic thing. It was familiar, like even though they didn't understand they loved him.

 

“So, I think just having you watch the video will be easier, I'll explain what I found afterwards,” Micah said, pushing the laptop across the table and pressing play on the video his mom made.

 

* * *

 

“Okay, okay. We're in. I'll help you stop these people,” Rictor said.

 

“Then I too will help you,” Shatterstar said.

 

“Do you have a plan?” Rictor asked.

 

“Now that I have help, I was going to use myself as bait, but we have to have a way to track me after that,” Micah said.

 

“What can you do?” Shatterstar asked. His eye lit up, the tattooed star providing a stark contrast.

 

“Uhhh, well I can do a lot of things I guess? I’m telekinetic and I can manipulate energy. I could show you some of my moves,” Micah said, standing up, planting his hands over his ears at the unbearable squeak of the chair.

 

He breathed deeply, calming himself down, and slowly removed his hands. Micah focused on making himself move and halfway through the air, he levitated the TV, focusing on the precision of not dropping it. He set it back down after a few seconds. After a few seconds Micah made a force field around himself.

 

“Attack me,” Micah said.

 

Shatterstar looked jittery with excitement, but he still turned to Rictor in an unspoken question.

 

“Go ahead,” Rictor said, sighing slightly.

 

Shatterstar jumped into combat, producing twin swords. He jumped and tried to slash through the force field, sending him flying onto his ass. Micah let down the field for a second to send off two blasts of energy, watching as one hit it’s target, Shatterstar’s left sword. “He seems to be a powerful ally,” Shatterstar said, his voice had a happy sound to it.

 

“Yeah, he seems to be,” Rictor responded.

 

Micah paused, letting his feet touch the ground. He smiled shyly. “I can make the blasts really big if I try. And I can feel the energy all around me, if I tried I could absorb all of it it, but it'd be hard.”

 

“Don't try that,” Rictor said. “Having an apartment with power is something I like.”

 

Micah paused. “Power outages are trackable, right? If I absorbed the energy from around me then you could track that.”

 

“That's… actually not a bad idea. Let me talk to the rest of X-Force, but that just might work,” Rictor said.

 

Micah thought,  _ Maybe this'll turn out alright. _

 

Famous last words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo... comment...


	6. I Get Cut, They Feel My Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from Family by Mother Mother. TW for medical experimentation.

Micah fell asleep to a shitty soap opera, almost 24 hours of no sleep catching up with him. Shatterstar and Rictor’s couch was soft and as his eyes drifted shut he felt better. As he drifted off he felt someone place a blanket over him, lulling him further to sleep. There was quiet voices behind him, talking in a language he couldn't quite identify. Within minutes he was out.

 

* * *

 

Micah stretched when he woke up, the TV was off and the apartment was empty. There was a note on the fridge.

 

_Don’t leave. We're out gathering information. There's food in the pantry. If you would like to practice your powers there’s a practice room on the ground floor._

_-Rictor_

_P. S. Shatterstar wanted me to tell you there's a sword in the closet if you so require one. His words not mine._

Micah smiled before noticing how his stomach rumbled. He should definitely eat something, he thought as he searched through their cabinets. He pulled out a package of oatmeal creme pies, unwrapping one and stuffing it in his mouth. After that he grabbed a bag of sweet chili Doritos, he figured if he was going to die horribly in the next couple days he might as well go out in a blaze of junk food.

 

After finishing off the food Micah wandered around the X-Force Investigation headquarters looking for the training room. He found it unoccupied. Micah had changed from his civilian clothes into his training uniform. There was less of a chance of his accidentally incinerating them with energy powers than with his other clothes.

 

Micah started with simple stretches, warming his body up, before going to the touch screen control panel. He opened up the training panel, looking at the options. It was similar to the training rooms at school, different options for different power sets. Micah chose a simple one, allowing for target practice.

 

Micah levitated himself in the air, waiting for the targets to appear. He'd been working on making his powers more concussive in nature rather than burning through things. After he'd hit 14 targets in a row Micah sighed and flopped on the ground.

 

He ran his fingers over his necklace, enjoying the feeling of it. The Magan David was smooth, a polish wooden surface with edges he could dig into the palm of his hand. It was perfect, Abram had given it to him for his Bar Mitzvah. Sometimes Micah forgot that he missed his brother, that Abram was dead, still in moments like those he could feel Abram there.

 

It hurt to remember, but it hurt more to forget. So Micah remembered, he remembered his brother.

 

* * *

 

Shatterstar and Rictor came back around sundown. They had takeout with them.

 

“We found some more information. 17 kids in District X who disappeared had similar disappearance. Only 3 of them still had alive parents in the area and we talked to them. I think this might be Weapon X,” Rictor said, he set down the food and started distributing it.

 

Micah was handed a carton of noodles with chicken. He ate it without saying anything while Rictor went through the rest of the information.

 

“We're going to talk with the rest of X-Force to finish up the plan,” Rictor said.

 

Micah nodded. He couldn't help, but feel a bit nervous, he'd heard things about Weapon X. It wasn't one of those places people went to and came out alive.

 

After dinner Micah met the rest of X-Factor. He recognized some of them, Multiple Man once did a seminar at the school about something Micah can't quite remember and Wolfsbane used to work at the Jean Grey School. After that they hammered out the rest of the plan, Micah staying silent as they discussed.

 

The final plan was they decided to replace his necklace chain with one with a magnetically identifiable signature. Polaris gave it to him, telling him to keep it close.

 

“If you keep it under your suit when they get you it shouldn't be taken from you until you’re at the facility,” Polaris said, carefully replacing the chain and clasping it around his neck. “I like your Magan David.”

 

Micah smiled, “I hope this goes well.”

 

“We won't let you get hurt,” Rictor said.

 

Micah inhaled deeply, he was scared. He didn't want to say anything. Fear wasn't going to help anyone, it wasn't going to save anyone. It wasn't going to end the shitty stuff in the world.

 

* * *

 

Micah lay on Rictor and Shatterstar’s couch, unmoving. He thought back to his brother, Abram would've done it, his mom would've done it. He chastised himself because despite that he still had reservations, what if he failed. What if there was something he couldn't do. He tried to quiet his thoughts as he drifted off to sleep, focus on something other than the bone deep feeling of impending doom.

 

* * *

 

The next morning Micah felt like Rictor was channeling his mom with the amount of food he fed Micah despite Micah’s protests that he wasn't hungry.

 

“I can't eat any more food,” Micah complained, he'd cleaned his plate. He'd eaten scrambled eggs, two pieces of toast, an orange, and some surprisingly crispy bacon for having been made in a microwave.

 

“Okay, I made way too much food, I guess,” Rictor said, sliding the remaining food onto Shatterstar’s plate, expressing only mild disgust as Shatterstar covered everything in the travesty that is sugar free pancake syrup.

 

“So, should I, uh, wear my civvies or…” Micah trailed off.

 

“Yeah, I think that'd be a good idea,” Rictor said. “Babe, I know didn't grow up on Earth, but toast and scrambled eggs isn't really the same as french toast.”

 

“Earth food is weird,” Shatterstar responded before eating more of his toast.

 

Rictor sighed, but didn't say anything.

 

Twenty minutes later Micah was leaving the apartment building. He’d left everything, he said because he wanted it safe, but really because he wanted there to be proof if anything went wrong. He didn't want to die only for nothing to happen.

 

Micah ran a hand through his thick hair, for a few seconds he had the impulse to grow it out again. It hadn't been past his ears since he was 4, but for a few seconds he wondered if it'd be as curly and thick as his mom’s had been. Not for the first time he'd wished his mom was alive, that she'd been there for so many milestones. He wished she was there with him, there to tell him it was okay.

 

He internally cringed at how ridiculous his mom would've made his Bar Mitzvah photos. Abram’s had been awkward, between his terrible 13 year old hair and overall way too gangly limbs. His braces were way too neon, almost distractingly so. He wondered what his would've been like.

 

Micah pulled the picture of his family out of wallet. It was the last one there was, Micah was 12 in the picture and it had been taken at Abram’s 18th birthday. Their mom was standing in between Micah and Abram, a technicolor smile lighting up the room. Abram was wearing a matching smile, the braces of his Bar Mitzvah photos gone. Micah placed the photo back into his wallet, it was safe there. His memories of them were safe there.

 

* * *

 

Micah didn't quite remember what happened between him walking to the park and waking up in Weapons Plus. He woke up in an empty room, his clothes changed and his necklace and wallet gone. He panicked for a second, wanting it there. But he steeled himself and tried to get his powers to work, to summon something. After a few seconds of concentration it fizzled out, like he was a battery on empty.

 

After about 20 minutes of trying, a woman came in. She was wearing a lab coat, her hair pulled back into an immaculate bun.

 

“Micah Alfandari, subject XI-25-3,” she said, tapping her pen on her clipboard.

 

Micah didn't say anything, he opened his mouth to say something, but after a moment he closed it. There was nothing he had to say.

 

“You have a treatment scheduled in 30 minutes, I am here to conduct a preliminary exam,” she said, placing the clipboard down.

 

The examination was quick, she took a few pictures. Micah blinked as the flash hurt his eye. The whole time he said nothing, until she led him by his arm to a room.

 

“Please lay down,” she said.

 

“Are… are you going to hurt me?” Micah asked, he hated that he sounded small, he sounded scared. He knew that his mom wouldn't sound like that, he knew his brother would've been brave. He was stupid, stupid for thinking he could be as brave as they were.

 

She said nothing and after a moment Micah realized that he should just do as she asked. He laid down and waited. The doctor moved to hold his arm, strap it down. Micah pulled away, but her stern look made him stop. She strapped it down and after a moment he stopped struggling. He told himself not to cry and he waited as she inserted the catheter, then attached it to an IV.

 

He watched her take blood, then insert a syringe into the line. He watched the liquid flow into him. For a while he didn't feel anything, he just waited and watched as she left the room.

 

Then the room went dark and his body felt different, his telekinesis was back. After a moment he realized something, he'd blacked out the whole facility. Micah inspected his IV, it was connected to nothing, the syringe full of something long gone. He found his powers back and he used it to open the door, blasting it off.

 

He remembered on the way to the room, they'd passed other rooms with kids inside, each one accompanied by the panel on the outside showing the kid on the inside. He stopped by each room, blowing off the doors and yelling, blindly.

 

“Come on! We're breaking out!”

 

He hadn't noticed at the time, but he was glowing, his eyes, his scars, even his freckles, all glowed an unreal shade of purple.

 

They navigated the maze of hallways, until they came to a door. It was thick, there'd been two guards in front of it, something that told Micah he'd hit the jackpot.

 

“I can tell you who you are,” there was a voice behind them. Belonging to the woman from before, her face illuminated by a small, handheld flashlight.

 

“I know who I am,” Micah said. “I am the son of Miriam Alfandari. You can't change that. You can't change me.” But she did. She changed Micah in an irreversible way.

 

“Your father, I know who he is,” she said. “Come back with me and you'll know what I know.”

 

Micah thought back to himself as a kid, the jealousy he'd held for his brother because he had a dad. He’d wanted that, he'd wanted to know where'd he'd come from. He'd wanted that. The part of him that still wanted that made him ache. After a moment he looked at her.

 

“No,” Micah said.

 

“What?” she asked, her voice disbelieving.

 

“I said no,” Micah said before he blasted the door off. Light came flooding in and the kids shielded their eyes. They looked surprised, rushing outside with a sense of wonder.

 

Micah followed them out, summoning all of his power. Everything in him hummed as he blocked the building in on itself. The cement buckled and groaned as the entrance and exits collapsed, trapping everyone inside. Micah sighed, falling down to his knees. That type of display of power would have definitely attracted Cerebro, the X-Men would be on their way, he thought as he collapsed to the ground with a resounding thump. The kids flocked to him, but he was already out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comment... pls...


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TWs for hospitals.

Micah woke up to a hospital room, it smelled like way too much cleaning supplies and there was the steady noise of monitors. He breathed, hearing the awkward hiss of his breathing and he started small, twitching his finger. Then he opened his eyes and he looked over. There was no one there. Carefully Micah stood up, ignoring the way his balance wobbled ever so slightly. He steadied himself and walked out of the room.

 

“Stop. You sustained serious injuries and it would be in your best interests to sit back down,” one of the nurses said, guiding Micah back to the room. She sat Micah down on the edge of the bed. “Stay put.”

 

Micah kicked his feet back and forth, letting them brush the ground before kicking them until they were almost straight. It took almost 5 minutes for the nurse to come back, this time Jean-Paul and Ororo were with her. Both of them looked delighted to see him, Ororo hugging Micah tight against her and kissing the top of his head.

 

“We're so glad you’re okay,” Ororo said, her voice calm and collected, like music to his ears.

 

“What happened? My brain feels fuzzy,” Micah said, he felt like his brain was filled with cotton, or maybe like it was 6 feet under water.

 

“A lot of things. We can talk later,” Ororo said, she brushed back his hair.

 

Micah hummed and waited as the nurse examined him. She said that he appeared to be fine, but they'd have to consult the doctor to see if there was any lingering effects. Jean-Paul and Ororo nodded, intently listening. Micah said nothing. They'd brought him some clothes to change into so he didn't have to wear the hospital gown.

 

Two hours later he was given the okay to leave and go back to his room, with the promise to spend a few days resting. His body had undergone a huge changes as they said, Micah looked back at them perplexed, that sounded more like puberty than what had happened, at least as far as he could tell.

 

“What happened?” Micah asked.

 

“I think it’s better if you just, see,” Jean-Paul said, he pulled out his phone, turning it on selfie mode. Micah looked at it, his eyes were purple and glowed, his freckles gave off the same light. The scar that ran from slightly above his clavicle to the edge of his shoulder was the same.

 

“I’m…” Micah didn't quite know what to say as he brushed his fingertips over his freckles.

 

“They said it's likely a secondary mutation due to the toxin found in your system. Your body tried to fight it off and well… that happened,” Jean-Paul said.

 

Micah didn't say anything, simply nodding.

 

“Can I… be alone for a little while?” Micah asked. “I'm going to go back to my room.”

 

Ororo and Jean-Paul shared a look before nodding and Micah disappeared within a few minutes. They’d looked like they wanted to say more, but both erred on the side of caution and said nothing, there’d be plenty of time to berate him later. He didn't notice he wasn't wearing shoes until he was on the basketball court. Micah sighed before trudging his way back to his room, carefully watching the ground to avoid anything sharp. 

 

* * *

 

“You’re back?” Victor asked, throwing his backpack off and dropping it to the floor.

 

“Yeah, it apparently took a lot of energy out of me to heal, but when I woke up I was fine. Except… I glow now,” Micah said gesturing vaguely to his face and the scars on his leg.

 

“You look cool. Wait does this mean you can leave campus now?” Vic asked, practically vibrating with excitement.

 

Micah shrugged, bits and pieces of the last few days were coming back to him. He remembered talking to Shatterstar and Rictor, Darya too, but after he'd left Rictor and Shatterstar’s apartment everything was a blur.

 

“Do you know what happened with me?” Micah asked, sitting up.

 

“Not really. You disappeared and then three days later the X-Men came back with you. You've been in the hospital for the past two days,” Vic said. “Whatever you did, I think it worried Mr. Beaubier and Ms. Munroe, like a lot.”

 

“Yeah, I tend to do that to people. I'm kinda stupid like that,” Micah said. He'd spent a lot of his of his life worrying other people.

 

* * *

 

Despite having been unconscious for two days Micah still spent most of the next few days sleeping. Mutant healing abilities were good, but they weren't perfect and there was still some healing to be done on Micah’s part. Thankfully it felt less like he’d been poisoned and more like he had a cold. Sleeping was a good escape, ever since the mirror had become cursed. Doctor McCoy had explained it as a secondary mutation triggered by whatever they'd injected him with. There hadn't been enough of it in Micah’s system when he got back to the school for them to figure out what it was, but whatever it was Micah didn't care.

 

It took him three days to ask about Jackie. He called Darya, waiting as it took 3 rings for her to pick up.

 

“Hi, it's Micah Alfandari. I'll return the cheques, I swear, I just wanted to see if Jackie got home safe,” Micah said.

 

“She’s fine. I'm so glad she's back,” Darya said, Micah could hear that she was smiling.

 

“Oh, cool. I was just calling to check in,” Micah said. “I'm glad you got your daughter back.”

 

“Me too. Wait, before you go I want to say thank you again. You’re a kid and that shouldn't have been your responsibility. Your mother and I made the same mistake and you shouldn't have had to fix that. I'm sorry,” Darya said.

 

“It was no problem. I wanted to do it,” Micah said.

 

“Thank you,” the words were barely above a whisper and after a few seconds Dary spoke again. “I’m going to go. Do you like muffins?”

 

“What?” Micah asked.

 

“You saved my daughter, baking you muffins is the least I can do. So where do you live and what flavor do you like,” Darya sounded like if Micah said no she would search the world and make him take her muffins as a token of her appreciation.

 

“I like mango and chocolate and orange,” Micah said. “And I live at the Jean Grey School.”

 

There was the sound of the scratch of pen and then a quick goodbye and Darya hung up.

 

Most of the kids from the program, those who survived, had not been as lucky as Jackie. They had nowhere to go home to. Their families either dead or unreachable, leaving them at the Jean Grey School. The already slightly overcrowded school was getting new students and Ororo had called up a few fellow mutants and an architect to start plans on new projects to make room for all of the students. So far everyone had been told to make due with the occasional three students to a room.

 

It wasn't like they all really had total privacy before anyways.

 

Micah’s friends trickled in to visit him over the next few days, each of them talking hanging out with him. Molly and Micah watched an entire season of a terrible web series about a bunch of gay teenagers doing stupid shit in one go. Dallas and him ate fried chicken that Dallas had bought from his favorite place downtown. During the summer whenever either of them needed a break from school they'd go there together. Frankie brought their sketchbook and drew dragons for Micah while they played Flight Rising and drank tea. By the end of the week he was given the all clear to return to class, and with that came all his makeup work.

 

“This is terrible,” Micah said, banging his head against the desk.

 

“This is your fault. You know you're a dumbass and you left school anyways,” Dallas said, pointing to one of the problems on Micah’s paper. “You got that wrong.” 

 

“I thought you were my best friend,” Micah made an unhappy noise that sounded like a heavy sigh.

 

“I am and as your best friends I am contractually obligated to tell you that you're a dumbass,” Dallas said. His homework was neatly laid out into perfectly answered stacks meanwhile Micah’s was all over the table, half answered with doodles in the margins.

 

Micah stuck out his tongue like a petulant child, but finished the problem nonetheless. He was planning on going to the teacher’s study sessions for the next week, but he hated doing homework.

 

“I'm glad you're okay, you're a dumbass, but I'm glad you’re a living one,” Dallas said.

 

“I'm glad you're a living dumbass too,” Micah smiled slightly. Dallas was much smarter than Micah and Micah knew it, but it wasn't something he ever planned on acknowledging.

 

Dallas smiled, having a best friend was nice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment y'all.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment! I'd love feedback.


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